Elementary math chat is a weekly math chat where participants come to discuss best practices, examine student work, explore routines for reasoning and research that guides and supports pedagogy centered on problem and student based learning.
Best I saw was a homemade mask with feathers made out of fur and antlers... like out of a fantasy novel I would read. Oh, and John Golden, Michigan, #teacherprep. #elemmathchat
Question 0: Hey my name is Jared and I am from the Great Plains specifically the state of North Dakota and am currently a senior going for science education. This year for Halloween I was Dr. Mcdreamy aka Derek Shepard #elemmathchat#stem#GreysAnantomy#teachlove#loveteach
Hi #elemmathchat friends# I am Melynee, teach 6-8 math for Ss w/ disabilities. Thank you @mathhombre for leading tonight from #NCTMRegionals can't wait to see you tomorrow! This was me yesterday.
#elemmathchat Question 1
What’s something you remember from your teacher prep program? (mathy or not) What’s something you started then that you still do?
Hi! I'm Michelle, 3rd grade math/science teacher from cincinnati.
This year my husband and I went as Steve Harrington and eleven from #StrangerThings. #elemmathchat
A1: I learned about Literature Circles in my teacher prep program 18 years ago. If I still had a classroom, I would definitely still be doing that! #elemmathchat
A1. I remember learning to analyze and evaluate text series (specifically in math). I definitely think about that every time I face any new series. #elemmathchat
A1: I was taught to keep a plan book. Recently someone who is older than me called me old school for keeping one. What? Is this not a thing anymore? #elemmathchat
#elemmathchat Question 1
What’s something you remember from your teacher prep program? (mathy or not) What’s something you started then that you still do?
A1. I remember learning to build relationships first, set the tone for learning early on, even good things can get boring if done everyday, take risks, and get to know your kiddos
Still value all of that advice #elemmathchat
A1 I just finished my math degree 3 years ago so I use everything! Notice/Wonder, inquiry learning, productive discourse, consructivist pedagogy, sump, 5 practices...... #elemmathchat
A1: in my T prep program I learned that I knew less math than I thought I knew. I started thinking deeply about “simple” things. I still find great joy in those explorations #elemmathchat
A thing that I learned from my teacher prep program is using better feedbackand praise. It is good to be specific and phrase it as you did this well and that will lead to you having success. I think great job is not a good comment. #elemmathchat#teachlove#bighearts#loveteach
#elemmathchat Question 2
The PSTs have been interested in growth mindset and are reading @joboaler’s Mathematical Mindsets.
How do you handle learner mistakes or even encourage them?
A1: I got my bachelor degree as a teacher in Honduras, and I remember learning how to plan lesson, how to teach some basic mathematical concepts, and analyzing some context in math classroom in my country #elemmathchat
A1 During my undergrad I remember being asked to participate in all kids of events & projects. I learned so much by getting involved & supporting teachers. I also got a ton of ideas for my own events that I host now #elemmathchat
Students know we learn from our mistakes and they help us grow. We sometimes share our best mistake today, or I will make a mistake so they can help me through it #elemmathchat
A1: lesson planning! I may not write out everything we used to back then, but I keep those things in mind to help me guide students into deeper thinking during our lessons #elemmathchat
A2. I remind my students that everyone makes mistakes, even teachers. And encourage them to keep thinking and trying if they make a mistake. #elemmathchat
A2. I LOVE this question! I model mistakes. Teachers aren't perfect! I encourage sharing mistakes aaaand writing about mistakes. We also do #myfavoriteno We watch mindset videos from @ClassDojo and I share @pertslab resources with my families #elemmathchat
#elemmathchat A2 I try to make grades about understanding, which can be shown in mistakes - and definitely in finding or correcting them! #sbar helps with that.
A2: One of my favorite classroom routines is Number Talks. During this time, I can set the climate in the classroom that it is safe to try new ways of thinking ane make mistakes. It means you are learning. #elemmathchat
Hi! Sorry I’m late, I’m Alison! A senior at Converse College majoring in Early Childhood education! I saw a family be Monsters Inc. and loved it! #Elemmathchat
A2 we spend the first month of school learning about Growth mindset & problem solving. We also start every hour with a growth mindset mini lesson So we celebrate mistakes and recognize them as learning. #elemmathchat
A2: I use a lot of critique in the math class. I work hard to build a culture where students look at their work as a draft that can be made better when they receive actionable feedback and have an opportunity to think deeper and rethink. #elemmathchat
A2: I tell the students I tutor you miss 100% of the problems you don't attempt. I also let them know that if you make a mistake and are able to correct you will retain it better once you learn it right. I think homework should be able to be redone with corrections! #elemmathchat
A2: I’m genuinely excited when I see productive mistakes and I think Ss see that. We always share them and dissect them. That becomes part of the learning culture. I tend to revise tasks when they fail to elicit variety of student ideas #elemmathchat
A2: One of my go to responses is "thanks for being brave enough to share your thinking/letting us see your brain grow". Make mistakes normal. That's just how we learn! Let them see you make mistakes #elemmathchat
A2 Our student teachers are finding that students are most animated when someone makes a mistake. They are considering ways to capitalize on these moments.
#elemmathchat
A2 Don't give up on Ss when they make a mistake. Make them explain their thinking & give them time to keep thinking about what they have so far. Check back in with them. No judgement- believe in them when they don't believe in themselves #elemmathchat
#elemmathchat Question 3
Engagement was on many minds. How do you get a whole class involved? If they were engaged and start to lose focus how do you get them back? Is it easier or harder in math?
in the classroom teachers should create an enviroment where make mistake is normal and we can learn of them. mistakes give the opportunity to analyze what or why a probleme or whatever is wrong and thinks about how to fix it #elemmathchat
A2. I'm trying to work on my poker face. I don't want to treat some student responses as more valuable than others. That can shut some kiddos down. #elemmathchat
It is important for us not to get defensive about our own mistakes & be prepared to ask for help or feedback from students. Always a learner! #elemmathchat
A3. I love the strategy think, pair, share to get everyone involved. I have them get up and switch partners if they need to get up to reengage too. #cced421#elemmathchat
#elemmathchat
A3. Being intentional when planning - anticipate and prepare. Include rich tasks that students can grab onto. Plan for pacing and flow. and watch, listen, learn, and be flexible.
I had my students pick a position to defend, create a convincing explanation & present. The ALL picked the correct answer & I had the wrong to convince. They got worried! I almost got a few to flip! It was a thing of beauty to see them know they out thought me! #elemmathchat
A3: Dawn from MN here. Just got home from conferences. Allow for different kinds of participation. Think time, talking with a partner or small group, stand and talk, walk and talk, draw a picture, cooperative games/activities... #elemmathchat
I have had kiddos turn and talk about a targeted question regarding the content or student work used in a discussion. This has helped to renegage them in meaningful discourse allowing them to make connections. #elemmathchat
YOU GET UP IN THEIR FACE AND SAY........LETS DO ACTIVE LEARNING! haha I believe that active learning activities are a good way to get everyone involved and keep students attention since it gets them out of their chairs and allows them to speak with their classmates. #elemmathchat
A:3 Engaging all students in the classroom depend on the motivational activities teachers drive. I believe that teachers should plan lessons involving variety of activities acording studens' interests #elemmathchat
A3 I love @numbertalks to get all students sharing, thinking and critiquing. It builds a culture where we are open and ready to share and think deeply. Everyone can use different strategies and thought processes to get involved! #elemmathchat
I love that you said intentionality when planning and preparing! The anticipation of strategies brings me to one of my fav books 5 Practices for Orchestrating Discussions! #elemmathchat
I like using mix and mingle to get reengaged. We go on "field trips" to see what others are strategizing and thinking. Also stand and talks from @TracyZager#elemmathchat
“Engagement” is more than listening. Listening is often a passive thing.
Real engagement is about actively thinking, trying to make sense of things.
#elemmathchat
A3: Get up and move around! I hate sitting at my desk all day because it gets boring! I like having an active classroom because it involves the students and allows them to have fun! #Elemmathchat
A3: I try to find the sweet spot where the task is open enough that students believe their thinking/approach is valid, but also structured enough that all students have an entry point. I want to struggle, but avoid frustration #elemmathchat
I love @numbertalks . I use a lot of turn and talk with them so that kids can hear themselves think aloud and have an opportunity to rehearse prior to sharing in front of the class. Plus, everyone is doing the work. #elemmathchat
A3 I love @numbertalks to get all students sharing, thinking and critiquing. It builds a culture where we are open and ready to share and think deeply. Everyone can use different strategies and thought processes to get involved! #elemmathchat
#elemmathchat Question 4
I loved this question: do you have a favorite math lesson that you teach or have taught? (Or one you just like a lot....) Why?
A4: I love doing number talks. Tells me SO much about my Ss thinking. I love anytime we are composing and decomposing numbers. So many fun tools to use to show our thinking! #elemmathchat
A4: I love to do Splat from @SteveWyborney every week, @WODBMath and 3 act tasks from @gfletchy. Can't pick a favorite! When I taught 1st, I loved reading "1 is a snail, 10 is a crab" and working with that on place value. May revisit for multiplication. #elemmathchat
A4: There are many stolen lessons that I love and use year after year. I love @mburnsmath ‘s work and many Investigations lessons. I love @gfletchy Math in 3 Acts. I developed a series of fractions lessons around a building project with cuisenaire rods that I love. #elemmathchat
#elemmathchat Question 4
I loved this question: do you have a favorite math lesson that you teach or have taught? (Or one you just like a lot....) Why?
#elemmatchat
A4. One of my favorite math lessons was taking my students to the Ronald McDonald House to prepare dinner for over 95 people and patients there. They planned, made, and served everything! Oh and had a ball playing with all the little ones.
A4
I’ve always liked learning about “Happy Numbers”.
Something no textbook would ever mention... yet all about patterns and sense-making
https://t.co/QTXsRqjuJH#elemmathchat
A4: Many of my favorites were the result of lesson study, where I collaboratively planned a task, had peers observe the teaching, debriefed with them after, and then watched a peer reteach. Learned so much about planning purposefully with S thinking in mind #elemmathchat
#elemmathchat Question 5
Many questions about assessment. How do you really know if a learner is understanding? How do you assess besides tests and quizzes?
Break out boxes are fun, too! I have found them a little tricky in K, but they are engaging bc they all want to solve the problems to unlock the prize #elemmathchat
A3: I means some student lose the interest in math class due to many reasons. some of the reson is because they find the class boring or they do not understand the content, or the content does not make sense for them.
I’m happy we are thinking about the verbs our students should be “engaged” in.
Here’s a wordle showing the frequency of each verb in grade 7-8 expectations here in Ontario:
#elemmathchat
The lessons I tend to love are the ones that draw the kids in by the context and then really immerse themselves in. And of course the ones where students jump up and declare themselves math nerds! #elemmathchat
“Engagement” is more than listening. Listening is often a passive thing.
Real engagement is about actively thinking, trying to make sense of things.
#elemmathchat
A5
If we are assessing our Ss, we should be aimed at getting to know their thinking. The process of assessment should be more than marking stuff... it needs to include observations and conversations! #elemmathchat
A5: awhile back I created a general analytic rubric based on the 5 strands of math proficiency. Rubric needs work, but it was a great way to ensure my assessment was focused on more than getting answers #elemmathchat
A5 Asking questions that require students to connect different representations. Can you build a model for this subtraction sentence or make a story for it? Can you build a pattern for this linear equation? #elemmathchat
#elemmathchat Question 6
Even more than that they wanted to know about differentiation. Do you have any ways to adjust lessons to reach more learners? What do you do to support the learners farthest behind?
A6: This book was a huge help to me in helping me organize myself and my thinking to better differentiate for all my Ss https://t.co/VC75wi1Fkl#elemmathchat
Assessment is a important process in learning when teacher implement it as a opportunity to improve students' performance. assessment can be implemented as a test, homework, question in class, participation, etc. . #elemmathchat
A6: In order to differentiate, we need to know the needs of our learners. My absolute favorite way is to administer Math Running Records. Then I create small groups based on strategy and we explore with math tools then practice with games. #elemmathchat
A6: Low floor/high ceiling tasks https://t.co/FFcH5TPmzK. Also think about adjusting the range of numbers, the use of materials, providing more/less context #elemmathchat
A6: think about lessons, tasks, and games that are open and strategically provide students an opportunity to construct knowledge, identify relationships/ patterns, and make connections in a way all kiddos can access, then differentiation occurs in our questions #elemmathchat
Assessing with @USMathRecovery assessments and so important to understand research based learning trajectories, Dr. Robert Wright’s research, so that we can anticipate the likely next learning for students #elemmathchat
A6: Give them tools to get around skills they don’t have (times tables, calculator). DON’T deprive them the opportunity to do high level math due to gaps in skills. If you do, they’ll fall further and further behind! Meanwhile, address gaps as often as you can. #elemmathchat
#elemmathchat Question 6
Even more than that they wanted to know about differentiation. Do you have any ways to adjust lessons to reach more learners? What do you do to support the learners farthest behind?
A6 Use the workshop model to engage students with low floor/high ceiling activities (include centers if necessary) and meet with small groups to confer. Read Math Exchanges by @kassiaowedekind for more ideas.
#elemmathchat
A6 Tough one. If the goal of the lesson is multidigit division and someone can't count to 20, it's hard to differentiate within the same task. When I plan I often think first what accommodations/tools I can provide to allow everyone to access. #elemmathchat
The very best way is to sit beside them and ask them to explain their thinking. @TracyZager does a much more eloquent job of explaining why the conversation is critical in her book Becoming the Math Teacher You Wish You Had. #elemmatchat
Our first strategy for differentiation needs to be carefully selected open problems (high ceiling/low floor)
This allows everyone to be engaged in the same learning, while allowing everyone to start where they are...with their own thoughts.
#elemmathchat
A6: understanding how children are making sense of the content, rather than assessing how well they’ve understood what I taught is key to differentiation. Letting S thinking drive differentiation helps to avoid a deficit mindset #elemmathchat
A6 Virtually every Ss I see for math interventions leads back to number sense building. Don't skimp on this for the faster/easier path or it will come back to haunt you (in reality haunt the learners) Start by looking at number sense to support your lowest #elemmathchat
A6 Some routines/formats allow for differentiation by design. E.g.: Visual number talks, Which One Does Not Belong #wodb, Counting Collections #countingcollections, Open Middle @openmiddle. #elemmathchat
Our first strategy for differentiation needs to be carefully selected open problems (high ceiling/low floor)
This allows everyone to be engaged in the same learning, while allowing everyone to start where they are...with their own thoughts.
#elemmathchat
A6 10 Dimensions of Mathematization as laid out by Dr.
Wright and Dr.ellemor-Collins in The Learning Framework in Number, key for differentiation @USMathRecovery#elemmathchat
#elemmathchat Question 7
They wondered a lot about parents. How do you build relationships with them? Get them to support your learner at home? What about difficult parents?
While some believe that differentiation should be about the creation of small groups based on need, I don’t think that’s where we should start.
Actually I’m not sure it’s differentiation anyways!
Read carefully:
#elemmathchat
The most seamless & fun way to differentiate is to provide lessons that have a low floor but high ceiling, rich in discourse & student collaboration. Use The 5 practices tenenets, & routines for reasoning! I teach Ss w/ disabilities w extreme abilities works Fab! #ElemMathChat
we're running out of time, #elemmathchat! Question 8
They just finished putting on a Family Math Night (games at https://t.co/E4xZmOi9v6 TH18) and noticed a lot of finger counting K-5. How do you help learners transition to more efficient strategies?
While some believe that differentiation should be about the creation of small groups based on need, I don’t think that’s where we should start.
Actually I’m not sure it’s differentiation anyways!
Read carefully:
#elemmathchat
A7 I had a parent tell me once at the P/T conference: "You really know my daughter!" And I thought, that's it. Really know your students, care about them and don't hide it. #elemmathchat
A7: not specifically about math, but to build relationships I send hand-written thank you notes when they attend school events or conferences. Positive phone calls home are also great for relationship building #elemmathchat
A7. I love using @ClassDojo to help families feel connected to our class. I also try to send "just because messages" to let them know tiny awesome moments. #elemmathchat
I totally agree, I think we really need to “rethink” our definition of differentiation and think about the effective teaching and learning practices from PtA in order to meet the needs of all kiddos in meaningful ways without losing Rigor! #elemmathchat
While some believe that differentiation should be about the creation of small groups based on need, I don’t think that’s where we should start.
Actually I’m not sure it’s differentiation anyways!
Read carefully:
#elemmathchat
Thank you for an amazing hour, #elemmathchat. Here's the reflection, Question 9. What advice might you have for your younger self about how to learn how to teach mathematics?
A8 Give them a reason to stop using their fingers aka Something challenging enough that they feel like it's inefficient. Be sure to support them with alternative supports...Side note- we worry way too much about them counting their fingers #elemmathchat
A8: Using visuals are crucial. Activities that involve subitizing and using math tools like Cuisenaire rods, rekenreks, and 10 frames to explore number relationships is the key to creating flexible thinkers who develop number sense. #elemmathchat
